Motor Road Transport For Commercial Purposes
(Liquid Fuel, Steam, Electricity)

RAPID LOADING AND UNLOADING DEVICES 179 of the load coming on to the chassis is taken gradually, and does not depend on the goodwill or the delicate touch of the loader. The other device is a rapid-loading or unloading contrivance, and consists of a movable floor, which is made up of jointed plat es. These can be moved backwards and forwards, and when unloading, the plates as they move on to the tail board—thus dumping their load—fold up. The reverse process is gone through for loading. These operations are done by means of a cable and winding drum. Where “ blocks ” of load are to be dumped at different points, an arrangement by which the body is divided into sections or compartments by means of vertical boards used in conjunction with a movable floor may well add efficiency to the service. Tipping Bodies. With regard to tipping bodies both for chassis and trailer great advance has been made. This mode of unloading is by no means new, but it is in the applica- tion of the principle that progress lies. In addition to the usual hånd method of operation there are several other forms worked electrically, mechanically, and hydraulically. Electrical Tipping. To take an example of the tipping gear on an electric vehicle: the design arranges for a motor—driven from the main batteries of the car—which tums a central screw running parallel to the chassis. The current is automatically switched off at the highest tipping position, and also when the body is retumed to the normal position, thus avoiding over-running.